


'I Miss You' Doesn't Seem Strong Enough.

by mimimortis



Series: The Sowlmates Chronicles [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Akaashi Misses Bokuto, BokuAka Week 2020, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:06:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25891051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimimortis/pseuds/mimimortis
Summary: Fives times that Akaashi is missing his boyfriend and the one time he decides to do something about it.--The words ‘I miss you’ did not seem strong enough to convey what Akaashi was feeling. He missed his friends that had graduated. What he felt about Bokuto being away was something far greater. It wasn’t as simple as missing someone. Akaashi felt incomplete without Bokuto, like a shell of a person waiting to be whole again.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: The Sowlmates Chronicles [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857142
Comments: 6
Kudos: 132
Collections: Bokuaka Week 2020





	'I Miss You' Doesn't Seem Strong Enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I know BokuAka Week is over, but I was inspired by the "5 + 1 Things" prompt and this fic just happened. This is not beta read at all, so I apologize for the poor writing.
> 
> This fic is part prompt inspiration, part BokuAka taking me where they want to go, and part me wanting to have an excuse to use my _text message styles_. It is 100% self-indulgent.
> 
> But of course, even though this is self-indulgent, I always appreciate hearing if you enjoy :) Especially since this is now the 6th piece in this series and I'm trying to stay motivated to continue posting

1 - When Akaashi has to commute alone

Bokuto had left for university and Akaashi was alone. The first thing the recently anointed captain noticed was the silence on his morning commute. Before, his mornings had been filled with noise and multiple people invading his space. Now, he sat on the train, alone, with soft instrumental music playing in his headphones.

For the last two years he had been riding the train with Bokuto and his other senpai—two years of Bokuto yammering on about every animal he saw on his walk to the train station; of Akaashi showing Konoha viral cat videos on his tablet; and of Sarukui going on about the latest girl in his class that he was too nervous to ask out. Akaashi had complained about the lack of quiet on his commute, but he realized that he actually preferred their presence to the silence that he was now subjected to.

Akaashi’s phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him back from his thoughts. Messages from his old teammates lit up the screen of his phone.

##### Conversation: Commuting Squad

>>Good luck as captain!  
Konoha

>>Good luck Captain Akaashi  
Sarukui

Thank you.<<

>>Whip those suckers into shape!!  
Komi

>>Or maybe wait to show them your mean side  
>>Cuz we don’t want you to scare away the new first years  
Konoha

As long as they don’t meddle in my personal life, no one will have to worry about my “mean side”<<

>>I can’t believe you are still upset about that!  
Konoha

>>You literally got a boyfriend from our meddling!  
Komi

>>Good luck on your first day!  
>>You’re gonna be a great captain babe 😘  
Bokuto

Thank you, Bokuto-san<<

>>🤢 🤢 Blecghh, take your love out of the group chat!  
Komi

Akaashi placed his phone back in his pocket. He missed the group; he missed Bokuto. The current reality of being alone was going to take awhile to get used to. The whole trip felt too mundane. No one disturbed him on the train. He walked from the train station to the school with no detours for morning snacks. He made it to his classroom with plenty of time to spare. It was all so different. Akaashi cursed himself for not being a year older because, at least then, the change in routine would also mean that he was growing up and attending university. Instead, he was stuck in high school; instead, he was left behind.  


  


2 - When there are no more extra practices

There had been few days that Bokuto and Akaashi hadn’t stayed longer for extra practice, but it wasn’t necessarily uncommon. Therefore, while odd, Akaashi had not thought too much about the fact he got home earlier than normal until it became a habit a week later. A week later when he had, once again, completed his homework before nine and was left staring at the ceiling, wondering what to do with the rest of his night.

From the schedule they had entered, Akaashi knew it would be at least a half hour before Bokuto texted him, and they would have a short conversation about their days before the ‘I miss you’s and ‘goodnight’s. It was a brief interaction that Akaashi equally craved and hated. Some nights, Bokuto would call or video chat, but those evenings seemed few and far between. Of course, the setter would take any interaction with his boyfriend, but he wished for something more substantial. Bokuto’s life was busy, between settling into university and the new college team, and Akaashi understood that. However, he couldn’t help but wish that they could find more time for each other. 

Akaashi wished they were still in the same place, having extra practice until the janitor kicked them out. He wished for the nights they raced to catch the train so they wouldn’t have to wait a half an hour for the next one. He missed the evenings where it was just them in the gym, practicing and stealing the kisses that they avoided during general practice. He missed Bokuto.  


  


3 - When the lunch-stealing squirrel returns

Akaashi sat outside, eating his lunch alone and observing the various clusters of students conversing around him. He had gotten used to eating lunch alone, and he often took the time to read—granted, reading was the hobby Akaashi used to fill all his free time now. However, that day he had decided to just relax in the sun and watch the world around him.

Nearby, a group of boys passed a soccer ball around, obviously trying to impress a second group of girls, who were giggling at the display. A bit further was a couple, who still seemed nervous around each other as if they had only confessed yesterday. Closest to Akaashi were two boys discussing something within the latest issue of Shonen Jump, their lunches laid out and forgotten in front of them.

Akaashi wouldn’t have usually noticed such a detail, except a familiar squirrel was hopping along the grassy area between groups. As the squirrel approached the two boys, it slowed down. Akaashi knew what was going to happen; after all, he had seen it many times before with Bokuto. He took out his phone ready to snap the picture as the squirrel grabbed something from one of the bento boxes and ran.

This particular squirrel was special. Bokuto had been the first to notice the lunch thief a few months ago—promptly naming the creature Sneaky-kun as it often stole food right under the noses of the victims. After the first appearance of Sneaky-kun, Bokuto had been always on the lookout, which led to his own lunch being stolen one day while he was trying to find the squirrel in the courtyard.

Akaashi opened his conversation with Bokuto to send him the image.

##### Conversation: Bokuto Koutarou

[squirrel image.jpg]<<  
The thief is at it again<<

>>OMG!!! Sneaky-kun lives!!!!!  
>>Those poor souls, losing their lunch

I really don’t think they will notice<<  
They seem engrossed in SJ<<

>>No harm, no foul then!  
>>Besides, Sneaky-kun has to eat too  
>>gtg, my lecture is starting. I’ll message you after  
>>Love you babe! 😘

Love you too. Talk to you later<<

Akaashi thought about sending "I miss you," but decided against it. The words did not seem strong enough to convey what Akaashi was feeling. That phrase was something that fit what he felt if he thought about Konoha or Komi. He missed his friends that had graduated. What he felt about Bokuto being away was something far greater. It wasn’t as simple as missing someone. Akaashi felt incomplete without Bokuto, like a shell of a person waiting to be whole again.  


  


4 - When Fukurodani fails to qualify for Interhigh

Akaashi missed seeing Bokuto on the court; he missed tossing the ball to the wing spiker and watching him break through the opponent’s defenses. Akaashi even missed having to deal with Bokuto’s 37 weaknesses on a daily basis. Most of all, he missed just being on a team with Bokuto, and the team had been at its strongest in the past decade with Bokuto on the team.

Fukurodani was still a strong team, even without Bokuto and the other graduates. However, they were not strong enough, yet. Much of their team had graduated, and many of the starting players had not built up the endurance necessary to make it to the finals, which is why Akaashi was not surprised when the team lost in the semifinals of the Tokyo Interhigh Qualifiers.

Although Akaashi had not meant to think it, his first thought was that the team would not have lost if Bokuto was there; his second thought was that he wished Bokuto was there in any form. It was the first competition with Akaashi as captain, and he had failed. Bokuto had brought them to nationals multiple times, and Akaashi failed to do it for the current team.

Akaashi asked the vice-captain to round up the team for the bus as he slipped away into the restroom, not willing to cry in front of his teammates. He ran the water cold, splashing it against his face. His phone sat on the sink ledge, messages from his old teammates left on read.

He wasn’t surprised when Bokuto called. He debated not answering—too embarrassed to admit defeat and hear Bokuto’s remorseful tone about it. However, he hadn’t heard Bokuto’s voice in a few days, and the need to talk to his boyfriend won out against whatever pity party he had been throwing for himself.

“Hello,” Akaashi said, biting back the tears fighting to escape.

“ _Hey Akaashi... I saw the match... You did excellent._ ” Bokuto was trying not to say that the team had lost, and Akaashi appreciated that.

“We lost, Bokuto-san. It’s okay, you can say it.”

“ _You may have lost, but you all still played very well, and the loss will just motivate the team, which is why I know you all will qualify in the spring._ ” Akaashi heard Bokuto’s smile through his optimistic tone, and he couldn’t help but smile at his boyfriend’s faith in his skills: as a setter and a captain.

“I appreciate the support, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi sighed—he preferred to talk about anything but the defeat. “It’s been awhile since we talked on the phone. How much time do you have?”

“ _I have about twenty minutes before my next lecture._ ”

“Do you mind telling me about your day?” Akaashi asked, hoping to gain a distraction from overanalyzing the defeat.

“ _For you, anything._ ”

Bokuto talked about his day, which had been pretty typical. He had gone for a run, grabbed some tea on the way to his first lecture, and had gotten a little bit of training in—he had been working on improving his serves recently. As Bokuto talked, Akaashi closed his eyes and imagined his boyfriend was there with him. The twenty minutes went by far too quickly.  


  


5 - When training camp is far too quiet

When training camp started, Akaashi first noticed the quiet. There was of course the outbursts from Karasuno, but it was all within their team. For Akaashi, the past two years had been filled with Bokuto and Kuroo taunting across courts—both at each other, regardless of if they were facing off, and any other opponent. Without that noise, the gym felt calmer, and the games felt boring. Akaashi missed Bokuto’s passion for volleyball. Akaashi missed being inspired.

Everything was off, so when Hinata caught Akaashi outside the gyms on the first night, Akaashi wasn’t in the best mood.

“Akaashi-san!” Hinata yelled as he ran ahead of Kageyama to meet up with the Fukurodani setter. “Kageyama-kun and I are heading to Gym 3 for extra practice with Lev and Tsukki. Uh… Are you gonna join?”

“I don’t think so, Hinata,” Akaashi said apathetically.

“Oh… Is it because Bokuto isn’t here anymore?”

Kageyama, who had caught up to the pair, hit Hinata on the head. “Dumbass, you can’t just ask things like that!”

“It’s fine,” Akaashi said. Yes, he was avoiding Gym 3 now that Bokuto was gone, but he had plenty of other excuses to make it appear as if that wasn’t the reason. “I actually have some strategies for the team that I need to work on.”

“Oh, okay... Well maybe tomorrow?” Hinata asked.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Akaashi said, though no one believed him. He didn’t blame them; he had no intention on practicing late tomorrow or any other day.  


  


+1 - When Akaashi decides he is tired of missing Bokuto

##### Conversation: Kuroo Tetsurou

Are you sure this is okay?<<  
Bokuto isn’t going to be busy<<

>>I already confirmed that my bro is free all weekend  
>>The only plans he thinks he has are with me

Okay. Thank you, Kuroo-san<<

>>No problem. I’m always here to help 😇  
>>He misses you too btw  
>>Oh! And don’t forget that you and Bo are meeting up with Kenma and me next week

I have not forgotten. See you next week<<

Akaashi glanced at the time, 20:35, before pulling out the map Kuroo had made for him on how to find the gym Bokuto practiced in. Kuroo would have shown Akaashi himself, but he had an evening lecture, so Akaashi made his way through the campus alone. When he found the building, he took a seat on a nearby bench and waited for his boyfriend to finish practice.

Akaashi sat reading a book when his phone rang. A picture of Bokuto sleeping on the bus filled the screen. He answered.

“ _Akaashi!! You will never believe this, I am walking out of practice and I swear I see you._ ” 

“Is that so?” Akaashi asked and looked up to see Bokuto walking out of the gym, phone to his ear. 

“ _Yeah, he even answered the phone when you did!_ ”

“That’s because it is me, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said, standing up and collecting his things. 

Bokuto screamed Akaashi’s name and the younger boy pulled the phone away from his ear. Then, Bokuto hung up the call and ran to his boyfriend, taking Akaashi in his arms and swinging him around. The older boy peppered Akaashi with kisses on the cheek, refusing to release him from the bear hug. 

“Bokuto-san, we are in public,” Akaashi warned, though he was honestly more than happy to receive the attention after months of being apart.

“It’s okay. It’s dark and no one is really around.” Bokuto grinned wide, bringing a smile onto Akaashi’s face as well. “I just missed you so much.”

“Missing you doesn’t even begin to describe how I’ve felt lately,” Akaashi said as he hugged Bokuto back, resting his head on the other boy’s shoulder.

“Agghaaaashiiii!!!!! How do you always say such cool things?”

After their reunion in front of the gym, Bokuto brought Akaashi back to his single dorm. It had been months since they had seen each other, but they were both just happy to finally be together in the same room. They watched a movie on Bokuto’s laptop; Akaashi snuggled up next to Bokuto with the older boy’s arms wrapped tight around him. They peppered small, chaste kisses on each other’s cheeks, lips, and foreheads, but never went further. They fell asleep, Akaashi clinging to Bokuto, their legs intertwined. 

When Bokuto’s alarm went off at five in the morning, he snuck out of Akaashi’s hold for his morning run, knowing his boyfriend would still be asleep when he came back. Akaashi woke up once during that time, noticing the older boy’s absence, but fell asleep feeling comforted by Bokuto’s smell on the sheets. Around eight, Bokuto, freshly showered, climbed back into the bed. 

Bokuto planted a kiss on Akaashi’s forehead, and Akaashi moved back into his boyfriend’s arms, not even bothering to open his eyes. Akaashi’s body hummed to Bokuto’s touch. He felt whole again.

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus Scene!!  
>  \--  
>  Three times that Bokuto is a sap for anniversaries:
> 
> Roughly two weeks into the semester on a Wednesday, Akaashi sat at his study table, pouring over his notes. His phone buzzed, a new message notification pops on the screen. As it was not yet nine, Akaashi was confused to see his boyfriend’s name on the screen as the older boy was always still practicing at this time.
> 
> ##### Conversation: Bokuto Koutarou
> 
> >>Happy Kiss-iversary!!  
>  >>😘 😘 😘 😘
> 
> How long did it take you to determine the exact time that I kissed you?<<
> 
> >>Akaashi!!!!! Have you no faith?!?!
> 
> So how long?<<
> 
> >>It only took me an hour to find the message I sent Kuroo
> 
> Happy Kiss-iversary, Bokuto-san<<
> 
> That next Sunday, Akaashi received another anniversary message, promptly at nine in the morning, which he didn’t read until almost noon.
> 
> ##### Conversation: Bokuto Koutarou
> 
> >>Happy First Date-iversary!!
> 
> That isn’t a thing, Bokuto-san<<
> 
> >>It can be for us!!  
>  >>IT’S ROMANTIC AKAASHI!
> 
> The third time Bokuto remembered an anniversary, Akaashi was no longer surprised. He had come to the conclusion that Bokuto had stored the dates in the same part of his memory that contained bird facts and volleyball stats, and that made Akaashi smile.
> 
> ##### Conversation: Bokuto Koutarou
> 
> >>Happy Anniversary Akaashi!  
>  >>Hard to believe I’ve gotten to call you mine for a year already
> 
> Happy Anniversary, Bokuto-san.<<
> 
> >>Hope you aren’t tired of me yet!
> 
> I could never tire of you<<


End file.
